Presented By: University Library
John Baskerville’s Virgil (1757) and the Development of the Earliest Western-Made Wove Papers

Join us for a talk by Dr. Cathleen A. Baker (Conservation Librarian Emerita, University of Michigan) and to learn about the "Virgil wove." Light refreshments will be provided.
More than 10 years ago, Baker examined the library’s copy of the first edition of John Baskerville's Virgil (Birmingham, 1757) and became convinced that the paper she was looking at was not formed on a woven-wire screen, as has long been assumed, but rather on a piece of cloth secured over a single-face laid mould. She has since conducted numerous papermaking experiments using this technique and examined more than 200 copies of the book in private and public collections in the US, UK, Ireland, Germany, and Japan.
More than 10 years ago, Baker examined the library’s copy of the first edition of John Baskerville's Virgil (Birmingham, 1757) and became convinced that the paper she was looking at was not formed on a woven-wire screen, as has long been assumed, but rather on a piece of cloth secured over a single-face laid mould. She has since conducted numerous papermaking experiments using this technique and examined more than 200 copies of the book in private and public collections in the US, UK, Ireland, Germany, and Japan.